36 weeks later
by Agent.Badass
Summary: The infection has reached America and Doyle must find a way to save a group of five people left behind to die. Obviously Doyle didn't die in 28 weeks later. Summary sucks but bear with me it is a good read!
1. Chapter 1

Alysonn

We were told the infection had reached the walls. The military tried to keep it quiet but people found out quickly and began to panic. Evacuation was called and the rendezvous points were at all the high schools. When you check in they handed you a room assignment that you had to wait until your room was cleared and then they led you out to the trucks and drove you off to either the big KC-135s to the other safe zones or you were driven to the nearest safe zone. They took me straight from the labs to the school and handed me my room assignment. I knew the room, it was my old English room. This would be one of the last if not the last room to be evacuated.

I was ushered into the room and the door was shut and locked behind me. I knew all the faces in the room. Mr. Green, Maria, Hank, Lucas, and then myself. They didn't want to fill the classrooms up to make sure the containment held. A few hours had passed and when we heard the screams we knew all hope of killing the infection was lost. I jumped up on the air conditioning unit and looked out the now barred windows to see people running in all directions and the snipers on top of the school shooting anything that moved. All the trucks took off full of people or completely empty.

"They're leaving us." I said softly before turning away from the window.

"What? NO that can't just leave us. None of us are infected!" Hank yelled before he got up to look out the window.

"They will come back for us. They just need more reinforcements." I said trying to convince everyone including myself that is just what they were doing.

"Oh that's a load of bullshit, Aly. Let's face it we're as good as dead." Lucas spat.

"I c-can't die like th-this!" Maria cried. I walked over to her and put an arm around her trying to comfort her.

"Mr. Green is there anyway out of here? I mean you should know, this is your classroom!" I asked getting worried.

"They sealed everything up. I've looked." He replied.

"Shit." I muttered under my breath. I smoothed Maria's hair to try to calm her. She was always a worry-wart. She cried softly and the guys began to try to come up with a plan, all I knew is that we didn't have much time before the infected made their way here.

XXXXXX

After our attempt at trying to contain the infection in Britain failed I was shipped back home where somebody from London had carried the infection overseas into the US. I was ordered to help with evacuation in the city Raleigh but that quickly failed and we were pushed back to Wichita. The military base was taking people down to Wichita Falls and other various military bases around the country. I was put on the Delta Rooftop Unit sniper. My job, the same as London, was to watch for the infected trying to break the barrier. When they broke through all hell broke loose. People began to run in all direction making it hard to determine if they were infected or just scared. I did the unthinkable and abandoned my post.

I knew there were still people inside, locked in rooms. I made my way inside and checked all the rooms.

"Anybody still in this room?" I called banging on each door as I went down the halls. Each door answered with silence. I turned a corner and yelled down the short hallway with only four rooms. I began to turn away when I heard people answer and bang on the door.

"Stand back I'm going to have to shoot the lock on the door." I told them and when I was sure they had cleared I pulled the trigger demolishing the strong padlock. I twisted the handle and opened the door expecting to see at least twelve to twenty people but only saw five.

"Is this all?" I asked.

"Yes. We are the only ones in here." A girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes stood up and stepped forward answering my question.

"Alright. Well I'm Sergeant Doyle follow me and do exactly as I say." I tell them and they all nod quickly getting up to follow him. Before leaving the room I turn around to face them again.

"Be my shadow and run low and fast." I tell them my eyes meeting the girl's. Again they all nod and then I turn around and begin down the hall. I signal for them to stop and I look around the corner for any other military personal or worse any infected. The hall is all cleared and I begin to move with them in tow closely behind. It doesn't take long before I realize that all the classrooms have been emptied of people being kept there. These people were left here to die. I become very angry at this and curse under my breath but it didn't go unnoticed.

"What?" she girl asked.

"Nothing." I reply.

"Bull. Why did you say fuck?" a boy with shaggy blonde hair spoke up.

"You all were left there. There is nobody left in the school." I say looking at them.

"What do you mean?" a small girl with red hair and green eyes speaks up.

"I mean-"

"He means that we were left there to die." The other girl speaks up. The rest of them look at me and I only nod my head to confirm it.

"Why would they just leave us?" The adult asks getting angry.

"I don't know. They may have just forgot you were in there." I say trying to confront them.

"I don't believe it. They left us there for a reason. I want to know why Doyle." The shaggy blonde said.

"It's Sergeant Doyle to you, and I don't have answers I can give to you, boy." I tell him.

" It's Lucas, and you better freaking find out before I take your gun and shoot you in the head and feed you to those motherfuckers." He says standing up before the blue eyed girl pushes him back making him stumble.

"What the hell, Aly. Whose side are you on?" he asks getting in her face.

"Obviously the side that is going to help us." She said taking a step back and Lucas took a step towards her and that's when I pushed him back and he fell.

"Stay out of her face or I will shoot you, so help me God." I threaten. His face showed that he was afraid. I turned around to see her looking at me.

"Are you okay, miss?" I ask her.

"I'm fine. And it's Alysonn but you can call me Aly, Sergeant Doyle." She says.

"Doyle." I tell her before turning back around.

"If we're done here let's get going."

**First chapter DONE! I'm going to work on chapter 2 and upload tonight! Review please?(:**


	2. Chapter 2

Alysonn

We followed Doyle just as he had told us to. We reached the hallway with the library and seating area and had to stop so Doyle could scope out the area. He gave us the all clear and he began to move forward and I took a small step after him but Maria's grip stopped me. I turned around and saw why she stopped.

"Doyle!" I whispered. He turned around and quickly rushed back to us his hand on my cheek he made me look at him.

"Hey, I need you all to get behind me slowly and quietly." He said I nodded and pulled Maria with me behind Doyle. The boys silently followed us as Doyle crept to the front and took his aim before shooting all four of the infected down. I cringed when I saw one of the now dead infected was a little boy about seven or eight years old.

Maria let out a small scream then began to sob. I pulled her to me in an embrace and began to tell her it would be alright.

"He had to shoot them, Maria. They would have come after us." I tell her.

"It's not that. One of the in-infected that was just sh-shot was my brother, John." She sobbed into my shoulder. Her brother was the little boy I had just watched fall to the ground after Sergeant Doyle shot him.

"Why is she crying now?" Lucas snapped.

"She just watched her little brother as an infected then have to be shot." I said still holding her.

"I'm sorry Maria. I didn't know." Lucas said instantly reaching out to her. I looked up at Doyle who had eyes full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry Maria. I wish there would have been a way to save him." He said. She only nodded before letting go of me. She still held onto my arm like she was scared to leave my side. I felt bad about her brother so I didn't push her away and we just followed Doyle quietly once again following any instructions he gave us. After about twenty minutes we came to the student parking lot.

"What are we doing?" I asked Doyle.

"We have to get to the base. I'm guessing that's the new rendezvous point for any survivors. We just have to get there quickly." He said. I looked around for a vehicle but in all honestly there wasn't a single car in the parking lot that hadn't been torched.

"I know where a car that most likely still works is." I said remembering my friend Amber's black jeep.

"How far?" he asked looking at me.

"A few blocks east of here. Over on Harris street." I tell him and point in the direction of her house.

"Your sure it's there?" he asks.

"Yes she has been out of town for like three weeks and I know where she keeps the spare." I answer.

"Alright then we are going to Harris. We begin to walk through the parking lot weave our way through burning cars and other rumble. We run across a major road and then turned down a small alley too small for any car to make it down. We passed a few more streets when I finally recognized a few houses; we had made it to Harris. Amber's house was the white house on the end of the road with the wrought iron fence around the front.

"Which house is it?" Doyle asks me.

"See the white house down there with the fence?" I ask him.

"Yeah, that it?" he asks. I nod my head and we begin to walk again towards Amber's house. We arrive within minutes and make out way immediately back to her garage. I quickly type in the access code and the door slides up to show her 2009 four door Jeep Wrangler. I run over to the small pond she has in her backyard and fish around in it for the 'stone' that holds her jeep's key. When I finally find it I pull it out of the water and slide the little door off and grab the key and abandon the plastic rock in the grass and get up and turn around to be met with an infected Amber.

XXXX-Doyle

Lucas, Hank, Green, and Maria get in the back of the jeep and I wait on the passenger side of the car for Aly to return with the key. A few minutes passed and I began to get worried that's when I heard the shrill scream. I bolt in the direction of where Aly had disappeared. When I round the corner I see an infected has Aly pinned to the ground and Aly is struggling with all the power she has in her.

"Aly get down as far as you can!" I yell at her.

"Doyle!" she screams as the infected lady begins to go after Ali's neck and I take that as the only chance to kill her. I aim at the back of her head and pull the trigger and the lady falls right on top of Aly. Aly quickly pushes the dead woman off of her and she crawls away from the body.

'Please don't let her be bitten' I pray as I run to her.

"Aly, are you okay?" I ask her. She only nods her head before turning around to vomit in a bush. I hold her hair out of her face as her stomach empties into the plant. When she is finished she crawls to the pond and dips her hands in and scrubs off the blood from her face.

"Amber's blood is all over me! I can't get it off!" she cries. I walk over to her and pull her to me where she begins to sob.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, I swear." I say letting her cry until she stops. She pulls away and goes back to where her friend Amber's body lays. She lightly pushes her over enough to see the key to the jeep. I pull her up and hug her to me again and then we go back to the car. I get in the passenger side and she takes the driver's side. She starts the vehicle and backs out of the driveway. We take the deserted highway East until she gets off at an exit and then continues to turn right. It's another ten minutes drive when we finally reach the base. What we see isn't what we were hoping to see at all.


	3. Chapter 3

Doyle

Arrive at the base, take the refugees to the check in, and get my next assignment; that was the plan, until when we arrived at the base gates and the entire place was deserted. No planes or vehicles at all. On the grounds were tons of bodies. The infected hadn't just infiltrated the safe zone but they had reached the base too.

"What do we do, Sergeant?" Green asked from the back.

"Follow the road around to check for any survivors, Aly." I tell her pointing at the winding road. She nods her head and continues down the road at a moderate speed. We had gone around most of the base with no survivors spotted. We had almost given up when Aly slammed on the breaks.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

"I see something." She says pointing to a building. I look in the direction and see what she is seeing. A form moving slowly and slightly limping. I grab my gun and go investigate hoping it is somebody that knows where everybody has gone.

"Stop! Right there! I swear to God I will shoot you!" she calls. I lower my gun and drop it down to my side.

"I'm Sergeant Doyle from the Delta Sniper Unit." I call out letting her know I'm not infected. She hesitantly lowers her gun and makes her way over to me.

"Major Kayla Aarons. I work in the med. field. I was just grabbing some of my charts when they attacked. I was knocked unconscious and fell down some stairs twisting my ankle. When I woke up everybody and all the planes and cars were gone." She says shifting a backpack so the weight is off her hurt ankle.

"Do you know where they all went?" I ask her.

"Wichita Falls, maybe, or Denver." She says.

"Follow me. I have a car of survivors and we're going to track down everybody." I say taking on of her arms and putting it over my shoulder to support her weight and we head back to the jeep. Hank moves to the back with Maria and Major Aarons is put in his spot and I climb back in. I tell Aly to head in the direction of Denver to try that base before Texas.

XXXX- Alysonn

We picked up a field medic form the base that was stranded after being left there. Doyle then told me to drive to Denver where that base would hopefully still be intact and under control. I only nodded and once again got on the deserted interstate. A few hours of driving I looked at the gas gage and groaned.

"What?" Major Aarons asked hearing me groan.

"We are low on gas." I say quietly. Aarons and I are the only ones awake at the moment, but I know I will have to wake up Doyle so we can get some gas.

"Doyle." I say softly. No response is given other than steady breathing.

"Doyle." I say louder this time nudging him awake. He blinks a few times and shakes his head until he is fully awake.

"What is it?" He asks looking. I bite down on my lower lip as my arm begins to burn slightly. He continues to look at me before touching my burning arm.

"Don't touch it, please!" I breath in agony. He immediately pulls his hand back and his face shifts from sleep to worry.

"What's wrong? Did anything happen?" he asks.

"No. My arm is just burning. Side effects." I say through gritted teeth.

"Side effects from what?" Major Aarons asks.

"The lab experiment." I say exhaling as the burning begins to fade slowly.

"A lab back in Wichita?" she asks leaning up to my seat. I nod my head to answer her question. She reaches up and pulls up my shirt sleeve to reveal the nasty looking purple bruise that is in the shape of a triangle.

"Shit!" she curses before sitting back in her seat.

"What is it Major? She isn't infected is she?" Doyle asks looking at me sadly.

"No. That's just it. She is carrying the cure!" she says pointing at the bruise.

"WHAT?" Both Doyle and I say at the exact same time. He is looking at the bruise and I am looking in the rearview mirror at her.

"I was supposed to attend the lab that you, I suppose were the 'lab rat'. I didn't make it to it because they had me at the base loading people into the planes for other safe zones." She said.

"How do you know if I really am carrying the cure then?" I ask her.

"My friend, Major Scarlet Lima, was at that demonstration when they injected the cure into your blood." She said touching the bruise again.

"Scarlet? She was here?" Doyle asks.

"Was. She was bitten when inspecting a woman and shot herself. Did you know her?" She asks.

"Uh yeah. We were in London together with the little boy and his sister that she was sure held the cure. She was a good soldier." He said looking back to the front.

"Um Doyle?" I say softly.

"Yeah?" he asks back.

"We are getting really low on gas." I say pursing my lips.

"Fuck." He says quietly. I see an exit sign for a gas station in a town called Deersville about 30 miles away. I take the exit setting Lucas off.

"Where are we going?" He asks.

"Gas station." I say not looking away from the road.

"Are you insane? Haven't you ever seen Resident Evil? Those things are always by gas stations!" he yelled at me.

"Hey! It's either we fill up with gas now or run out later down the road and have to walk to Denver." I snap.

"Fine. Get your ass killed. I'm staying in here while your pumping." He said crossing his arms.

"Not very chivalrous is he?" Aarons asked raising and eyebrow. I couldn't help but laugh at that. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Doyle was also holding back a laugh at that burn too.

"It isn't that. I just don't have a death wish." Lucas spat in her direction.

"No, but with how your acting your death wish isn't intentional." I smirk.

"She says the truth." She points out to him.

"Thank you, Major." I say to her.

"Please just call me Kayla. No need for formalities in this time." She shrugs. I nod my head and turn back to the road reading the sign that tells me we have another at least ten minutes until we reach the hopefully deserted gas station.

XXXXX-Kayla

This young girl no older than 20 is carrying the most important thing in the universe. When the outbreak broke out over Wichita we were sure she had been killed or lost. But against all the odds I found her. Intact and unharmed. This girl had to survive and make it to a military lab where we could remove a few vials of her blood and begin to clone it to distribute the cure. If we could just begin to distribute it then the war against this deadly virus is as good as won.

The girl I know is scared to find out she is the only hope for the world. Hell, I would be terrified. Sergeant Doyle I can see cares for the girl, for one, when I first found out she carried the cure he was worried that I meant she was infected and then extremely relieved when I told him she wasn't infected. Two, the way he watches her. Like she is fragile. Even though she certainly is precious cargo, but before I figured out she had the cure he looked at her like she could break at any moment. I could tell she was strong, though, physically and mentally. She had to be in order to even be considered for the experiment. The smaller girl in the back with another boy was clearly not ever going to be eligible to be a candidate. She was small, too thin, and scared. There was nothing wrong with being scared but that only meant she was very vulnerable. The adult of the civilians was too old to be considered as well but the two young boys might be fit for it.

All I knew was that this girl had to be protected with everything possible.

'As if I need to tell Sergeant Doyle that!' I think to myself. There were an endless number of infected sympathizers and other drug companies that have a massive reward on her head; Dead or Alive. Sympathizers would kill her to ensure there would never be any cure. Drug companies would continue to poke and prod her until they figured out how to make the cure available to anybody then either keep her in their labs or kill her to ensure that nobody would know the cure had been walking around possibly under their noses. This girl was a walking magnet for danger.


	4. Chapter 4

Doyle

I had the cure to this terrible infection with me almost the entire time. I'm sure the army knows about her. I mean why else would they just leave her and the others in that room there? To test their little science project! The others would have died and they didn't care but her, there is no telling if she would have died or not. Learning this only makes my blood boil with rage.

I look back at her forearm and the purple triangle shaped bruise. Where the cure was injected into her bloodstream. I already knew I would protect her no matter what but learning this just amps up my game. About half an hour after exiting onto the Deersville exit we finally enter the tiny ghost town. No doubt the infection has already hit here. We follow the signs to the gas station. The place is a mess with papers blowing in the wind cluttering the roads. The gas station is obviously abandoned since the door is open and the pumps hanging on the ground. Aly parks the car and jumps out to check the pumps.

"FUCK! This one's out." She yells and throws the first one to the ground and goes around to the other side luckily it squirts out some gas.

"Doyle, bring the car over to this side." She says to me. I nod my head and do as she tells me. Once she has the gas pumping into the empty tank she turns to me.

"I'm going to go in and get some drinks and snacks, okay?" she says.

"You really think that's safe?" I ask her. She rolls her eyes and turns back to the jeep.

"Hey Kayla can I borrow your gun?" she asks.

"Why?" she asks handing it over to her. Aly reaches down in the door and pulls out a flashlight.

"I'm getting some snacks and drinks." She says.

"Hey bring me back some beef jerky." Lucas tells her.

"Get off your ass and come get it." She snaps. She turns toward the dark station and takes a step forward but I grab her arm making her turn to face me.

"No, I'll go get it." I say holding her back.

"Look, Doyle, thanks but I got it." She snaps yanking her arm away from me.

"Aly-"

"No, just because I might be carrying the cure doesn't mean I am going to die at any moment. I'm not glass. I will be just fine." She growls.

"Fine then at least let me come with you." I sigh.

"Be my guest." She says finally and gives Kayla back her gun and then turning back towards the station and turning on the flashlight.

Once we get inside the small store we grab one of the black basket and begin to fill it up with water, Gatorade, trail mix, jerky, and Redbull. I pick up a few packets of gum and turn around to see Aly putting some cigarette packs in the basket along with lighters.

"You smoke?" I ask her.

"Only when I am depressed or uh, stressed. You quit or trying to quit?" she asks.

"Quit, well attempting but right now one of those sounds really good." I admit. She laughs and tosses me a pack of camels and a lighter and I push them into my breast pocket. We get ready to leave when we hear some noise coming from the backroom.

"Wait here." I tell her and put the sniper scope on nightvision so I can see. I enter the backroom and look around the room prepared to shoot anything that moves but see nothing. I jump when a hand lands on my shoulder.

"God damn it, Aly. Don't do that!" I hiss at her. She looks down and steps back.

"I'm sorry I just didn't like being up there. It's kinda creepy since there's a noise coming from one of those doors to the bathroom." She says.

"Which door?" I ask. She points towards the front where there is two doors, mens and womens restrooms. I approach one of the doors and knock on it then finally open the door slowly. Nothing appears to be in the bathroom so I turn to the next one. I knock on the other one and still have no sound as a reply. I slowly open this one and see darkness.

"Nothing." I say turning back to her.

"Sorry I really thought I heard something in there. I- Look out!" She screams as an infected woman runs out of the backroom. I shoot a few times and hit her in the chest but she continues running and tackles me. I use my gun as a prop to keep her away.

"Go Aly! Leave me!" I say through gritted teeth. She doesn't even respond and I look out the corner of my eye and see the basket of the ground and she isn't in sight. I turn back to the infected woman as she begins to gain ground towards my face. She is only a few inches away when she flies backwards landing on her back.

"Get away from him!" Aly yells as she swings a metal baseball bat at the woman. The woman scrambles back up onto her knees screaming at Aly. In an instant she is up and flying at Aly at an incredible speed but before I can even grab my gun to shoot Aly has already swung the bat and hit her square in the mouth and then again in the head this one splitting her head wide open.

"Bitch!" Aly growls before tossing the bat onto the body. She looks back at me.

"You okay? She didn't bite you did she?" She asks me.

"No. What the hell was that?" I demand.

"I just saved your ass. A simple thank you would be sufficient." She says picking up the basket and it's spilled contents.

"Well I told you to leave me! You could have been killed, Aly!" I say standing up and grabbing my gun.

"And if I would have left you surely would have died and this world would be one more infected." She said narrowing her eyes. I sigh in defeat and nod my head.

"Your right. Thank you. It's just you are so important and I can't let you die." I tell her.

"If I die, I die. It's a fact these days. I might not die from one of them, I could die from a car accident or heart failure or a number of things." She says tears welling up in her eyes. I take a step forward and place a hand on her cheek wiping away a stray tear.

"It isn't just that you are holding the cure, Aly. I'm falling for you. How strong you feel that you have to be, just so that Maria doesn't get too scared and begin to panic. Or you feel like you have to be strong so that Lucas and Hank can be put in their place and not act out and get us all killed. You don't have to be strong all the time. If you feel like you have to run, then run." I say before I lean down and press my lips to hers.

XXXX- Alysonn

"It isn't just that you are holding the cure, Aly. I'm falling for you. How strong you feel that you have to be, just so that Maria doesn't get too scared and begin to panic. Or you feel like you have to be strong so that Lucas and Hank can be put in their place and not act out and get us all killed. You don't have to be strong all the time. If you feel like you have to run, then run." Doyle says before he slowly leans down and brings him lips to mine.

I wanted to pull away at first but it felt right. His lips on mine and him bringing me closer deepening the kiss. I put my arms around his neck and he pulls me closer with his arms around my waist. His tongue traces my bottom lip asking for entrance. I part my lips and his tongue slides in gently and meets mine. Together or tongues battle for dominance, neither wanting to give in to the other. Slowly he pulls back and looks at me, our foreheads touching and we are both breathing heavily.

"I think we should get going." He whispers to me. I nod my head after having completely forgotten about the jeep outside. He places another quick kiss on my lips before letting go of me. I pick up all the items that fell out of the basket and walk out of the gas station with Doyle in tow behind me.

"What took so long?" Lucas whines.

"There was one in there." I answer him after removing the pump from the tank and getting in.

"I told you they always go to the gas stations. How'd you kill it? Shot to the head?" he asked picking a package of beef jerky form the basket.

"No, I beat it with a baseball bat." I said replacing the cap on my Gatorade.

"You killed it? Bullshit." He snorted.

"No. She did kill it. Saving my life." Doyle said looking at me. I smile slightly and fasten my seat belt and turn back in the direction of Denver. Occasionally I catch Doyle sneaking a glance at me with a smile on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Alysonn

We reached the state line when I pulled over and got out. The sun began to rise so I could see the open fields on both sides of the road.

"Why did you pull over?" Doyle asked getting out as well.

"I need to stretch my legs or I'm going to go insane." I called over my shoulder while walking out in the field. I turned back around and everybody else had also gotten out and began to stretch their legs.

"Hey Aly." Maria said approaching me.

"Hey Maria, how you feelin'?" I asked her.

"Better, thanks. Um I know this is going to sound bad but do you have a cigarette?" she asked. I perked up when she mentioned that and I quickly ran back to the car aware that Doyle was watching me. I dug around in the console until I felt the package and lighter and pulled them out. I shut the door and ran back over to Maria.

"Thank you so much for reminding me. My legs began to cramp up I had completely forgot that I grabbed these back at the station." I said opening the pack and withdrawing two cigarettes. I handed her one and took the other between my middle and index fingers on my left hand. I placed the cigarette between my lips and clicked the lighter on and lit the cigarette and began to puff short puffs then took a long drag. I lit Maria's cigarette and she did exactly as I did. I exhaled releasing the small smoke cloud from my mouth.

"I know I'm too young to be smoking but I can't quit." She said softly looking in the same direction.

"I wasn't going to ask. I've tried to quit but I just don't see the point anymore." I admitted.

"But you will live. So why not quit?" she asks.

"Who said I'm going to live?" I ask snapping my head in her direction to face her.

"I heard Major Aarons say that you had been injected with the cure." She said looking back to where Kayla and Doyle sat talking. I glanced back and caught Doyle's eyes but I quickly lowered my gaze to the dead grass before turning back to Maria.

"That doesn't mean anything, Maria. I am just a guinea pig for that lab. They don't know for sure if it is actually a cure. Hell, for all I know they could have just poisoned me and said I would now be cured from the deadly bites of the infected." I said raising my voice slightly louder than I meant.

"I guess you are right. I hope though that you do carry the cure as Major Aarons believes." She says taking another long drag.

"I do too. I just wish this virus would die already." I say before dropping my cigarette butt to the grass and stomping it out and heading back to the jeep with Maria behind me.

XXXX- Doyle

I could still feel her lips on mine even though it had been several hours since we kissed in the gas station. When she pulled off of the road and got out it took me by surprise.

"Why did you pull over?" I ask.

"I need to stretch my legs or I'm going to go insane." She calls over her shoulders as she walks into an empty field. I motion for the others and they begin to climb out as well. Maria gets out and makes a bee line for Aly a few yards away from us. I help Kayla out of her seat and help her sit in the grass and I sit next to her.

"I really hope somebody at the base in Denver can help us. She just has to be the one with the cure in her blood." Kayla says looking in the direction of Maria and Aly. As she says that Aly comes running to the car and begins to shuffle around until she emerges carrying two small things. I wonder what they could be until I remember the cigarettes.

"Were there more people they tested on?" I ask.

"Of course. In any lab experiment you have multiple trials." She scoffs.

"What happened to the others?" I ask her.

"Earlier one died and others slowly caught the virus even without being bitten or even scratched." She said taking a deep breath.

"Wait so you telling me that she could be slowly dying or becoming infected?" I ask almost yell. I look in her direction just as her and Maria look back at us. She looks at me but quickly drops her gaze and turns back around.

"No. She would have already died by now or she would have already caught the virus. It all happens within 24 hours after the injections." She said.

"What if this trial just happens slower?" I ask.

"I don't know. But we can only hope that she is different from the others and pray that she will bring us salvation from this horrible plague. But this is the least of our worries, Doyle. There are lots of people out to get her. She is very valuable." Kayla says looking at me. I give her a puzzling look and she take a deep breath.

"Surely you've heard of extremists." She says. I nod and she continues.

"There are two groups of extremists out there after her. The Infected sympathizers and then the Drug company gurus. Sympathizers only want her to kill her, to make sure there will never be a cure for this virus. Drug company gurus want her so they may use her to their own uses. Create an antivirus and make it available to anybody out there, but they would either keep her down I their labs or dispose of her so that others would never get ahold of her. Do you understand why we must get to a lab quickly and keep her safe?" she asks me with desperation in her voice. I look back at Aly and Maria who are now approach the car and I look back at Kayla and nod my head my understanding. I help her up and she climbs into the car and I walk over to the driver side and open the door.

"I'll drive, Aly. You need to sleep." I say. She looks at me a moment then hands me the keys and gets out and walks to the other side and gets in and situated. I start the car and begin the second half of our drive to Denver.

Aly ended up falling asleep not too long after we started back on the road. The others fell asleep too leaving me awake in the quiet car. I took a sip of my water and screwed the cap back on. I could see the mountains now and the sun rising over them made them look really beautiful. Aly began to toss and turn in her seat and moan softly. I shook her softly which only triggered her screaming and clutching her bruised right arm. I quickly pulled over and ran to her side of the car and opened the car. I shook her and called her name. She continued to thrash and cry out. I grabbed my water bottle and splashed some water on her making her sit straight up and gasp for air. I undid her belt and pulled her to me as she continued waking up from her nightmare. She grasped on to me as well and sob lightly into my chest.

"It's okay, Aly. You aren't there anymore. They can't hurt you anymore." I told her smoothing down her brown waves.

"I know they can't but it feels like they still are." She said through sobs. I tightened my hold on her.

"I told you I would never let anything happen to you didn't I?" I ask her and she nods her head and turns to see the mountains.

"I will keep that promise. I swear." I said placing a kiss on her forehead. We stand like this for a few more minutes before she pulls out of my arms and gets back into the car. I get back in as well and look at Aly as she fights sleep. I look in the rearview mirror and see everybody else still asleep even after her screaming and shake my head as I pull back onto the road.

XXXX-Alysonn

They came at me with their needles and vials.

'Just one more sample.' They would tell me every time and each time I would believe them. The crease in my elbows were no longer the peach color of my skin, instead they were now nasty shades of purple and yellow from bruising. I always had a fear of needles ever since I was around twelve years old. The labs just amplified my fear.

They continued to come at me always having to check something. Then I was in the observation room strapped to the table unable to move. Doctors from around the country were behind a glass window watching me. Then the head doctor came at me with multiple syringes. He injected them into my arms and legs and finally they brought the biggest one out. I twisted and squirmed trying to get out of my bindings screaming as he inserted the multi-needle syringe into my forearm and it quickly and painfully shot it's liquids into me. It instantly began to burn and I thought as if I was on fire and burning to death before water splashed me out of my horrible dream. Doyle has looking at me worriedly. He pulled me out of my seat and wrapped his arms around me telling me they couldn't hurt me anymore. I knew this but I still felt that I wasn't safe except when I was in his arms. I knew that he would never let anything happen to me. I cried into his chest to quiet my cries and he tightened his hold on me and placed a kiss on my forehead.

I looked at the mountains wishing that after all this was over I could just disappear for a while with Doyle. Maybe go camping or what not. I was never allowed to spend much time outside of the house as a kid because my dad was afraid I would get hurt of catch some sort of airborne disease and be of no use to him. I quickly dismissed the memories of my childhood and returned to the present; in Doyle's arms.

I let go of Doyle and got back into the car and opened a Redbull chugging it so I wouldn't fall asleep again and return to my eternal nightmare.


	6. Chapter 6

Doyle

She doesn't sleep at all which clearly begins to take a serious toll on her since she can't even stretch her legs without practically falling asleep against the car.

"Hey, I'll drive and Maria can sit up front with me and you and Aly can sleep in the back. She really needs it. I don't know all the side effects of the experiment so I don't know how this will affect her." Kayla says nodding over to Aly who is being held up by Lucas and Hank supporting her weight on either side of her.

"She is fighting sleep because she is having nightmares. Not normal ones where you wake up and everything is fine, but one's where I have trouble waking her up out of them. I don't know how you all didn't hear her screaming when she did fall asleep." I say looking at her and squinting my eyes from the sun.

"Screaming? Did you ask her if her nightmares have always been this bad?" She asks me. I shake my head no and look down at the dirt.

"Aly, hey you okay?" She asks walking over to her. Aly gives a weak smile and nods her head.

"Can you tell me how long these nightmares have been going on?" she asked.

"Since the trials began. Well, I mean I've always had nightmares just these are so much worse. And it's the same damn dream every night." She says spacing off.

"She's reliving her days they kept her in the labs. All the horrible things they did to her are happening over and over again. It's so severe she may even be experiencing pain as well that the real life trauma brought." Kayla says softly to me.

"What can we do about it?" I ask her.

"I really don't know. But I know she needs sleep, Sergeant." She says looking me in the eyes. I nod my head and walk over to where the boys are holding her up and I take over for them and lead her back to the car and put her in the backseat and then take my seat next to her.

"Who is going to drive?" she asks leaning her head against the window.

"Kayla. She figures we both need sleep and it should be her turn to drive." I reply. She nods her head and yawns but doesn't close her eyes.

"I'm afraid to go back to sleep." She finally says. I turn to look at her when she keeps on talking.

"I'm afraid they will be back. Only for good this time, with their needles and scaffolds and notes. Just to inject something new into me or see how long I can go without water or food until I begin to pass out. Every time I close my eyes I open them to see that I'm back in the lab again strapped to a cold metal table or back in my room locked up like some rabid animal on display."

"What happened back at the lab?" I ask.

"The same thing as every summer since I was twelve. My father the scientist, couldn't risk his precious assistants so he ops for his oldest daughter. Keeping me away from friends and camps like any normal kid. Even when I was younger I couldn't play like the other kids, I had to be careful. My parents almost didn't put me in school. They had even looked at tutors to live at our home to teach me. But when I turned twelve my father decided I was finally able to undergo trials of virus cures for a deadly disease he feared would one day breakout. I lost count of everything they injected into me. I believed there really would never be a cure for the so called deadly disease. Which is why when Kayla told me that I carried the actual cure I was shocked and scared. My father told me what would happen once he had successfully created the cure.

Years went by and my father began to take me to the labs more and more often sometimes even keeping me from school. When I had finished high school he had me in the labs after the ceremony and in a permanent cell. When the virus actually did break out he brought in other scientists to test on me as well. Hundreds of vials of blood and countless of unknown injections later he had claimed this was it. So I was strapped onto the metal examiners table and he performed his 'cure ceremony'. When he finished the other doctors told him he must test his cure so I was placed in that room at the school and left there to test the cure while the others were just placed in the wrong room with the wrong person." She said rubbing the bruise on her arm.

"Weren't there others that were experimented on?" I asked her.

"Yes, they were all failures and had to be destroyed." She said as a few tears escaped from her eyes.

"But you're different." I tell her while reaching to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"I really wish I could believe that, Doyle. But with how I was raised those kinds of miracles just don't exist." She says looking at me.

"Look, we are going to get to the base in Denver and have them extract one vial. If they need more then obviously the cure didn't work." I said taking her hand.

"And what if it does? They will only need more just to be able to get the cure available. I can't go back to the lab." She said looking away from me.

"Then how about this, we have Kayla extract one vial and then deliver it to the labs and then from there we go on living as if we are just two regular people." I say. After a few minutes she looks back at me and smiles a little and kisses my cheek.

"That sounds like a good plan to me. Regular, I've never been considered a regular person." She says leaning her head on the window again and looks down as the others get back in.

Aly is asleep within minutes of the car moving even though we have less than thirty minutes until we reach the Denver city limits.

"Why don't we just take some blood from her and deliver it anonymously?" I ask Kayla.

"Why? They can just take it from her themselves." She says looking at me from the rearview mirror.

"I'm not going to let her go back to a lab ever again. That's all she's ever known." I said looking at her sleeping.

"But I don't know how much blood they will need. They could need one vial or- or a few dozen." She stammers.

"I know they can clone blood. I've seen it. We will send in two vials, but I am not letting her go back to a lab." I say stroking Aly's hand softly. Kayla thinks about it for a minute before eventually agreeing. We pull over again and she digs out her medic kit and her vials and syringes to draw the blood. I turn to Aly and gently try to wake her up.

"Aly, hey, I need you to wake up so Kayla can draw some blood." I say. She doesn't even stir so I unbuckle her seatbelt and lean her against me while Kayla finds her vein and begins to work. Kayla inserted the needle into her arm and took the blood that was needed to drop at the doorstep of a lab. Aly didn't wake up or so even flinch out of reflex from the small pinch from the needle


	7. Chapter 7

XXXXXX- Kayla

I extracted 3 vials from Aly and carefully put them in one of the small pouches from my med pack. I was surprised when Aly didn't wake or even shift in her sleep when I had poked the needle in her arm. James held her in his lap with one arm securely around her waist the other laying on his side. I drove towards the base and looked in the rearview mirror and saw that James, too, had fallen asleep and Aly was still in his lap sound asleep. I looked back down at the pouch containing what I knew was nowhere near enough blood to create the cure to this epidemic.

I finally approached the gates which were still completely intact and there were even a group of armed guards on duty.

"Sorry, miss you're going to have to turn back around. No unauthorized personnel." The guard stated.

"Soldier, I am a field medic from McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita. I have a few survivors and one that is especially important. I suggest you clear me immediately." I tell him raising an eyebrow.

"In case you didn't hear McConnell has been attacked. And I just said no unauthorized personnel." He stated a little more loudly.

"Call the head medic that you have on staff. That's an order." I growl. He huffs and retreats back into his guardhouse picking up the phone. About five minutes later he emerges and raises the bar that was keeping me out. I proceed towards the medical center and when I finally pull up outside of the building I am met by Dr. Joseph Crandel and a small team of doctors and nurses.

"Major Aarons, I assume this is as extremely important as you made that guard sound like it was, because in case you haven't noticed we are in the middle of-"

"I have your cure." I say cutting him off.

"Get out of the car and step aside with me." He says taking a few steps away from the car. I get out and walk over to where he now stands.

"Did you say you have my cure?" he asks.

"Yes, sir. I have a girl in there who was in the lab trials back in Wichita yesterday. She has the triangle shaped entry marking." I say. He quickly looks at the car and takes a few steps back over to it peering in.

"You're sure that she is carrying it?" He asks me.

"I am pretty positive. But Sergeant Doyle in there is extremely protective of the girl. He is only willing to give you three vials of her blood." I say.

"That is certainly not enough! We will need at least a pint if not more!" He says.

"I know, and what I'm trying to say is that, you won't be able to get anywhere near her unless you sedate Doyle and the others as well as a precaution." I say. He listens and nods slowly before signaling for one of the nurses over to us. He tells her to go get some rounds of sedations for the others and then turns to face me. "If you are right about her being the one carrying the cure, you realize what this means right?" He asked me.

"Absolutely sir, it means an end to this nightmare." I reply as the nurse returns with the syringes. He administers a dose to each person before getting to Doyle.

XXXX- Doyle

The last thing I remember is falling asleep holding Aly thinking how glad I was that she was finally enjoying a peaceful sleep before I too gave into the sleep that had been tugging at my eyes.

I don't know how long I had been asleep but I suddenly felt a small pinch in my neck. I open my eyes and whip my head around to see an unfamiliar man in a white lab coat pulling an empty syringe away. Behind him I saw Kayla watching him hand the syringe to a small woman and take another one. Two men removed Maria, Lucas, Hank, and Mr. Green and put them on gurneys and roll them into the building in front of us. Another man folded the middle seats down and the doctor moved toward me and Aly, who was still asleep.

"Get the hell away from her." I growl at him. I drop Aly in between me and the seats so I can shield her from him. I push the doctor away and he falls backward. I shoot a glare at Kayla.

"What the fuck, Aarons? You knew our agreement." I yell.

"I'm sorry, James. But three vials can't do anything in these labs. Plus, we're the good guys. I promise." She said.

"Funny thing is I don't believe you." I mumble feeling weak. I feel Aly moving. I look down and see her waking up, her eyes shining an impossibly blue.

"What's going on?" She asks sitting up.

"Aly, listen to me. You need to run and get away from here. Kayla brought us to a lab. I'm so sorry." I say putting a hand to her cheek and leaning down so our foreheads touch.

"What?" She cries. I feel hands grab my arms and begin to pull me out. Aly grabs my hand and screams. Another pair of arms grabs her by her waist and pulls her out of the vehicle as the doctor sedates her. After a few minutes of struggling she begins to fall limp. I am strapped down onto a gurney and I look over to see a soldier carrying her into the building. Her eyes meet mine once more and all I can see is fear.

XXXXXXXXXX- Aly

I felt so betrayed. I thought Kayla was on or side. But now that I'm sedated and strapped to another examination table I know that I have to be careful with who I can trust. I could hear the doctors in the room to my left discussing possible methods of finishing the cure and then distribution. I could also hear the others in the room on my right, from the air vents. I wanted to be able to talk so I could ask them what they've seen or heard if anything at all. But the doctors made sure my sedative was extra strong so I couldn't struggle. Breathing was hard so talking was impossible. I couldn't move any part of my body besides my eyelids.

After countless minutes of waiting a few people finally entered the room. I heard the sudden silence from the room containing James and the others.

"What is her name, Major Aarons?" the main doctor asked.

"Alysonn. I never got a last name." she replied.

"Age?" he asked.

"I would guess no older than 20 maybe 21." She again replied.

"I am thinking she is the daughter of the famous scientist Daryl Rivers. He constantly tested on her. But we need to have Dr. Lyons come in to confirm." He said nodding to a soldier outside the glass wall. A few moments later a familiar tall blonde man in a lab coat walks through the door and immediately stops in his tracks.

"Aly?" He asks looking at me.

"You know her? Is she not the daughter of Dr. Rivers?" the main doctor asks.

"Yes, why is she here and not with her family on the island safe?" Dr. Lyons asks taking a few steps towards me.

"Because she is currently carrying the cure for this infection." He replies. I open my mouth and to try to speak but I am only met with shortness of breath.

"Why is she not breathing properly?" Lyons demands.

"It is just the sedative we gave her. It is a precaution so she won't hurt herself." He says not looking up from his clipboard.

"Nurse, we need to hurry and extract a sample of blood from the area where the cure was administered, before the sedative wears off completely, seeing as she is starting to move her fingers." He said looking at my slightly moving fingers.

"How strong was the sedative?" Lyons asked.

"Enough to knock her out for a few hours, long enough for us to find out she is carrying the cure." Kayla said walking over to me.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I scream at her. She jumps back at my sudden outburst and backs away.

"Miss Rivers there is nothing to be afraid of. We just want to end this problem in our lives." The doctor says walking over to the table I'm strapped to.

"Bullshit! I've grown up around people like you and it's always some experiment they test out on me. Go fuck yourself." I sneer at him. I quickly regain feeling in my arms and legs and begin to tug at the leather restraints holding my arms and legs down to the table.

"Damn it where is that nurse?" the doctor curses as she walks through the door with the needles and vials.

"Well now we need Derek and Jillian in here to hold her down. And run this time! She will only get stronger." He said through gritted teeth while he and the others were pushing me back down.

"James!" I scream as loud as possible while still struggling against the four soon to be seven people holding me down. A few moments later the nurse and a man and a woman walk into the room and take over for the doctor and attempt to hold me still and keep my arm clear while he preps the needles and vials.

When he is ready they move aside for him and I yank my arms free of their grasps breaking the leather straps. I manage to punch the small timid nurse in the nose and knock the needles and vials out of the doctors' hands. They all scramble to contain me and one man accidently loosens my right ankle strap and I pull my right leg free kicking several people in their faces and abdomens and reach down quickly freeing my other leg. I jump off the table and over to the other side of the portable trays and push them all over sending equipment scattering across the white tiled floor. I grab a scaffold and stab it into a soldier's leg and quickly yank it out. A strong hand grabs my arm and I swing around shoving the knife into his neck hitting his jugular vein. The ground was soon covered in blood and so was I. I swiped the soldier's ID access card and closed the heavy door hitting the outside lock button containing the doctors, nurses, soldiers, and Major Aarons inside. I took one last look at their faces before moving next door to see everyone gathered around the air vent listening. I swiped the access card opening their room surprising them. James runs over to me and pulls me into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Aly. I should never have fallen asleep." He said into my neck. I pulled away and looked at him in his eyes.

"It's okay. I didn't even think Kayla would have done that." I said back. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss.

"Okay let's get out of here. That door won't hold them for very long at all." I said taking his hand and signaling for the others to follow. We walk back by the room with them in it and wave before leaving. As we pass a bunk room I go in and change out of the hospital gown, thankfully they left my bra and underwear on, and change into a pair of green cargo pants and a black v-neck that was lying on a bunk. I pull on a pair of combat boots and grab a gun that was carelessly left on the desk and join the others in the hall.

"Ready?" James asks me. I nod my head and lead the way out the doors towards the last place where I saw the jeep.


End file.
